I'm not crazy about hardcover either, not because of the cost but it's usefullness. Books as large as his in hardcover are very difficult to have stay open. Instead I would prefer something that can lay flat yet remains durable. I'd pay extra. Maybe someone could start a site like the virtual weber bullet and we can discuss how to mod our books! But the contents Steve created are certainly worth it so for now I guess I'll just keep stuffing the chunks of book that keep falling out back in. It's always something isn't it? You get a great book like ANY of Steve's and instead of treating the books like the loved tomes they are the publisher cheaps out on materials.

Airfoils and Hickory Pete made references to drilling or punching holes and using binders.
Many print stores like Kinko's offer an inexpensive spiral binding service. They cut off the binding, drill holes and put it together with a pretty durable binding.
One of the great things about this type of binding is that it will lay flat on a counter without closing or losing your place. This makes spiral bindings more practical for cookbooks.

Steven, if your publishers are reading... perhaps this would be a good binding for future printings?